Stand By Me By Neta Jackson

I received this book for no charge from Thomas Nelson Publishing through Booksneeze.com for my honest review of this book.

Book Description:

Sometimes the person you most need is the one least like you.

Kathryn Davies is a bright young woman from a prominent Phoenix family. But after making a leap of faith at a Christian music fest, dropping out of med school, and moving to inner city Chicago, her family has all but disowned her. Kat’s enthusiasm for her new found faith tempers the sting of their rejection.

When Kat discovers SouledOut Community Church, she longs to become a part of the multi-cultural church family. But her tendency to say whatever she’s thinking and her eccentric ways step on the toes of nearly everyone she meets—especially Avis Douglass, a woman she admires but who seems distant.

Avis is known for her mature faith and her reliance on listening to God more than people. Married to a kind and successful businessman, she is the principal of one of Chicago’s highest performing elementary schools, and a founding and active member of SouledOut. But the country’s economic downturn has thrown both her and her husband’s jobs in question. And Avis hasn’t heard from her youngest daughter in months—an estrangement that gnaws at her every day. Where is God in all this?

Kat’s flamboyant zeal for living a “radical” Christian life is a stark contrast to Avis’s quiet crisis of faith. But in God’s own mysterious ways, the two women discover they need each other in ways neither of them expected.


My Thoughts:


Stand By Me is the first book in the SouledOut Sisters series by Neta Jackson.  I have had the privilege of reading many other books by Neta Jackson including The Yada Yada Prayer Group Series and The House of Hope Series.  Picking up Stand By Me was like coming home to an old friend. This new series has some definite new characters but so many "old" characters from the other series books. The great part of Neta Jackson's style of writing is you are able to pick up the book and read it stand alone because she gives background but not to the point that her other readers are bored by this.  Neta Jackson writes a wonderful story about faith, following God's leading, and how everyone that comes into your life is there for a reason.  Stand By Me has some fun new characters that are so easy to relate to and are new friends.  The descriptions of the people, places, and events are so vivid you feel like you are right there with all of them experiencing the whole story with the characters. I love Neta Jackson's style of writing, you can "hear" what the characters are saying and feel the emotions they are feeling.  I could not put this book down but didn't want to see it end! I look forward to more books in this series. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Christian Fiction and Chick lit.  Thank you BookSneeze for the opportunity to read this awesome book.